We work with companies that actually operate in the U.S. and need someone to own their books and taxes for the long run — from newly formed start-ups to subsidiaries with eight-figure revenue, in any industry. Three things we do not do: stand-alone formation or bank-account services (formation is the first step of a monthly engagement, not a separate product; see the U.S. company formation page); dormant shells that only file zero returns; personal tax returns unrelated to the company. The first conversation gives direction, not conclusions; a written proposal with a fixed fee follows within one business day, with inclusions and exclusions spelled out before signing.
How we work
How We Work and How Fees Are Set: Fixed Monthly Fee, CPA-Reviewed, Monthly Delivery, Encrypted Document Transfer
We do not bill by the hour. Most clients are on a fixed monthly fee covering bookkeeping, payroll, sales tax and monthly reporting; annual returns and one-time projects are quoted before they start and written into the engagement letter. The first conversation is free and a written proposal follows within one business day. This page answers, in one place, the questions a finance team usually asks when evaluating a provider: contracting entity and licenses, who does the work, what is delivered, how documents move and where data lives.
Contracting entity · licensesBergland & Gao, LLC (Florida)
Led by a Florida-licensed CPA & IRS Enrolled Agent
Led by a Florida-licensed CPA & IRS Enrolled Agent
FeesFixed monthly fee, never hourly
Annual returns and projects quoted as fixed fees
Annual returns and projects quoted as fixed fees
Who does the workJenny Gao, CPA, EA reviews and signs the returns
One named contact · no hand-offs down the line
One named contact · no hand-offs down the line
Delivery · documentsReports within 10 business days of complete records
Encrypted portal · read-only bank access
Encrypted portal · read-only bank access
Scope
How we take on a client
How the fee is determined
The five things that drive the monthly fee
Before quoting we look at five things: transaction volume (monthly bank and card transactions, platform settlements); headcount and payroll frequency; states involved (registrations, sales-tax and income-tax filing states); sales channels (B2B invoicing, Amazon/Shopify and similar platforms, retail POS); and scope (consolidation reporting for headquarters, cross-border payments, fractional CFO / controller / tax director leadership).
The monthly fee is tiered on those factors, written into the engagement letter and charged as a flat amount each month; when the business changes materially (a new state, headcount doubling) we reconfirm together. You should know, in any given month, exactly what you are paying for.
The monthly fee normally includes: QuickBooks bookkeeping and monthly close, bank and credit-card reconciliations, bilingual monthly management reports, payroll processing and quarterly payroll returns, sales-tax returns in registered states, day-to-day questions by WeChat or email, and reminders and follow-up on the full-year compliance calendar.
Normally quoted separately: annual federal and state income-tax returns (including Form 5472), post-formation registrations and system setup, catch-up bookkeeping and cleanup, new-state registrations and nexus studies, representation on IRS or state notices, transfer-pricing documentation, and audit or due-diligence support. These are quoted before they start — never a surprise on a month-end invoice.
Fractional CFO / controller / tax director runs on books we can review — usually combined with our bookkeeping, payroll, sales tax and annual filings; books kept elsewhere go through a one-to-two-month takeover or cleanup first, and groups with an in-house finance team can keep their own bookkeeping and have us review it under agreed authority. Before quoting, we clarify whether you need execution, accounting oversight, tax coordination or decision support, then agree the data foundation, meeting cadence, deliverables and responsibilities; where several modules share the same underlying work, the proposal spells out who does what. See how to choose between the three roles.
Who does the work
Who does the work and who is accountable: CPA-led, no hand-offs
The most useful question to ask any provider is "once we sign, who actually works on our books, and who owns the result?" Our answer does not change:
The principal owns the engagement
Jenny Gao, CPA, EA — Florida-licensed CPA and IRS Enrolled Agent — scopes the work, writes the proposal, reviews every month and signs the federal and state returns as preparer. The person you talk to before signing is the person accountable afterwards.
One named contact, a standard checklist
Each client has a named contact and a monthly checklist: which records are in, where the close stands, what needs a signature, what the next deadline is. We report progress to you rather than waiting to be asked; complex questions get a scheduled call, not fragments on WeChat.
Tools for speed, people for judgment
Source-document classification and translation of Chinese-language materials use AI assistance; amounts, debit-credit balancing and reconciliations run on deterministic automation. Every accounting judgment, tax position and client deliverable is reviewed by the CPA before it goes out (see section 5 of our privacy policy).
How we protect continuity. The ledger lives in a QuickBooks Online company that belongs to you; returns and workpapers are archived by year in the encrypted portal and shared drive; each client's accounting conventions, chart-of-accounts mapping and compliance calendar are written down. A change of contact, the end of the engagement, or a hand-over to your auditors or headquarters finance never depends on one person's memory.
Hours and languages. We work and reply on U.S. Eastern business days, normally within one business day; calls with headquarters in China are scheduled at times that work in both time zones. WeChat, email and video calls, in English or Chinese; with U.S. banks, tax agencies, payroll providers, attorneys and auditors we work directly in English so both sides see the same picture.
Delivery rhythm
What we deliver monthly, quarterly and annually
A fixed fee comes with a fixed rhythm. The table is the standard scope; your engagement letter governs the specifics, and fractional CFO / controller / tax director deliverables are described in how to choose between the three roles.
| Rhythm | We deliver | You provide | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | Close and reconciliations (bank, card, platform settlements); bilingual management reports — P&L, balance sheet, cash flow, with a headquarters chart-of-accounts mapping where needed; a monthly memo of exceptions, decisions we need from you and next deadlines. | Bank and card statements or read-only feeds; platform and payroll reports; the month's invoices, contracts and notes on intercompany movements. | Reports within 10 business days once records are complete and access is in place. |
| Quarterly | Payroll tax returns (Form 941 and state); sales-tax returns on each state's frequency; a quarterly compliance check — registrations, exemption certificates, new-state exposure; estimated-tax calculations where in scope. | Sales data by channel and exemption certificates; new hires, new states, new channels. | Worked ahead of IRS and state deadlines; we confirm the figures with you before the deadline. |
| Annually | Federal and state income-tax returns (Forms 1120, 5472, state returns); the annual payroll tax return (Form 940); 1099 filings and W-2 coordination; annual reports and registration renewals; the year-end headquarters reporting package and audit PBC list; next year's compliance calendar. | Year-end counts and accruals; related-party transactions and funding movements; headquarters' templates and deadlines. | Calendar fixed at the start of the year; extensions, where needed, filed before the due date. |
| As needed | Responses to IRS and state notices; nexus determinations for new states; withholding on payments to Chinese affiliates or suppliers (Form 1042-S); tax impact notes before capital injections, loans or dividends. | Source documents and business context. | Normally a reply within one business day; complex matters get a scheduled call and, where separate work is needed, a fixed quote first. |
Format: a PDF report package plus Excel detail, in English and Chinese; where headquarters needs a PRC GAAP view, the mapping and notes are agreed separately as described in Bridging PRC GAAP books and U.S. reporting.
Documents & data security
How documents move and where your data lives
Tax and finance files contain identity documents, bank details and shareholder information. Our rules are simple: sensitive files travel through encrypted channels, data stays in your name, and access is granted per person and revocable at any time.
The ledger is yours
The QuickBooks Online ledger belongs to you and we connect as the accountant. If the engagement ends, the ledger and its full history are handed over to you intact — there is no "getting the books back".
Tax and identity documents go through an encrypted portal
Returns, identity documents and bank records are uploaded and downloaded through an encrypted client portal (Intuit Link, part of the same system as our tax software), and anything that needs a signature goes through an e-signature tool — never as WeChat attachments or plain email attachments.
Group files on a shared drive
Multi-entity and multi-department files live on a Google Workspace shared drive with per-person permissions; who can see which folder is recorded, and access is removed as soon as someone leaves or a project ends.
Banks and platforms: read-only
Bank activity and Amazon / Shopify and similar platform reports come through read-only authorization. We do not hold your online-banking passwords, and we do not need them.
Accounts and storage
Our work accounts use multi-factor authentication; client data is held in mainstream cloud services such as Intuit and Google and on our private server in the United States, not on the local drives of personal devices.
Confidentiality
The engagement letter includes a confidentiality clause, and we can sign your NDA template where required. We never sell client data; it is disclosed only to the service providers needed to deliver the work (see our privacy policy) and for filings you authorize or the law requires, and never used for anything unrelated to the engagement.
Where WeChat stops: WeChat is for day-to-day communication and reminders. Identity documents, bank records and tax returns are not sent as WeChat attachments — we send you a portal link instead.
What makes a good fit
Companies that work best with us
Chinese companies with real U.S. operations
Subsidiaries, cross-border e-commerce, U.S. plants, service companies. Our experience and processes are built around exactly these businesses.
Companies that want one accountable team
No coordinating three providers across bookkeeping, payroll, sales tax and returns — one data set, one team responsible for the result.
Companies that can keep a monthly rhythm
Bank statements, platform reports and receipts provided on time each month; we close and report monthly in return.
Headquarters that needs to be involved
Shareholders or a CFO in China who want to communicate directly in Chinese and receive consolidation-ready reports.
Books that need cleanup
Years of unclear records or filing gaps. We assess first, then propose a remediation plan with a one-time quote.
Not the right fit (for now)
A single personal tax return, or a company that needs audit or review attestation — we will say so candidly and point you to the right resource.
Onboarding
From the first conversation to the first monthly report
- Step 1 · First conversation (free): reach us on WeChat or by email with your industry, stage, entity type and states. We quickly identify the most urgent compliance items and a sensible order.
- Step 2 · Quote and engagement letter: a monthly fee and one-time project quotes based on the five factors, then an engagement letter defining scope, delivery rhythm and each side's responsibilities.
- Step 3 · Document list and system access: our bilingual KYC and document checklist; access to QuickBooks, read-only bank feeds, payroll and platform reports; sensitive files exchanged through an encrypted channel, never as WeChat attachments.
- Step 4 · Assessment and remediation: an inventory of existing books, filings and registrations; gaps are fixed first so the monthly routine does not start with legacy problems.
- Step 5 · Monthly operation: close on a fixed schedule with reports within ten business days once records are complete and system access is in place; quarterly and annual filings driven by the compliance calendar; issues raised proactively, not when you ask.
Day-to-day communication is on WeChat (Chinese) and email (Chinese or English); with U.S. banks, tax agencies, payroll providers and other advisors we work directly in English so both sides see the same picture.
Outcome: Within 30 days of signing — with complete records and access in place, and any historical cleanup scoped first: systems connected, the gap list and the first-year compliance calendar in place. Every month after that you know whether the books are closed, what was filed and what comes next.
How it works
The four phases of an engagement
01
Understand
Business model, ownership structure, states and growth plans.
02
Assess
Existing books, filings and registrations; gaps and risks identified.
03
Build
QuickBooks, payroll, sales tax and filing processes with a compliance calendar.
04
Manage
Monthly close, filings, reports and communication — issues found and solved proactively.
Typical combinations
Three common ways to work with us
No prices here, only scope: every tier is a fixed monthly fee written into the engagement letter. Where you start depends on the stage of the business, and you can add layers at any time.
Just launched · single line of business
Bookkeeping + payroll + sales tax + annual filings
Close the books, file the returns, run the compliance calendar. Bilingual monthly reports; federal and state annual filings (including Form 5472) quoted separately. Where most clients start.
HQ needs consolidation · expanding across states
Core package + fractional controller or tax director
A leader on top of execution: close calendar and 10-business-day close, consolidation package for headquarters, controls and audit PBC — or the full-year tax calendar, quarterly provision, multistate nexus and notice representation. The most common upgrade path.
Plant · funding · M&A · audit
Full stack: execution + controller + tax director + fractional CFO
Three roles coordinated by one leader, one reporting basis, one calendar; budget and 13-week cash forecast, headquarters and board reporting, funding and bank-financing models. Scale up during a project and back down afterwards.
Scope and fees are quoted after a free initial conversation; see how to choose between the three roles.
FAQ
Common questions about working together, fees and vendor evaluation
Why not hourly billing?
Hourly billing discourages clients from asking questions and gives the provider no incentive to make processes efficient. On a fixed monthly fee you can ask anything, and we are motivated to make the system run smoother every month.
Does the monthly fee include annual tax returns?
Usually not. Annual federal and state income-tax returns (including Form 5472) are quoted separately by number of entities, states and complexity, agreed at the start of the year and written into the engagement letter.
Can we engage you for the annual return only, without monthly bookkeeping?
Yes, provided the books are already clean and usable. If they need work first, we quote a one-time cleanup before the return. Over time, monthly bookkeeping and the annual return done by the same team is cheaper and safer.
We already have a tax preparer. Do we still need you?
The annual return is a small part of the work. Bookkeeping, monthly close, payroll, sales tax and year-round compliance are where most problems arise. We can take on that ongoing work alongside your existing preparer, or handle everything.
How long is the contract and how do we end it?
The engagement letter is annual with monthly billing and can be ended with one month's written notice. On termination we hand over the complete ledger and files — the QuickBooks file is always yours.
How are documents transferred securely?
Tax returns, identity documents and bank records go through an encrypted client portal or encrypted email, never WeChat attachments. QuickBooks and bank data use read-only authorization; we never hold your online-banking passwords.
How big is your team, and who exactly works on our books?
We are a small, focused team led by Jenny Gao, CPA, EA: she scopes the engagement, writes the proposal, reviews every month and signs the returns; the team executes to a standard process and each client has a named contact. We deliberately do not run a sign-then-hand-off model, which caps how many clients we serve at once — we confirm capacity before taking on a new client and then deliver on the rhythm we promised.
Can you work with our auditors, headquarters' finance system or consolidation requirements?
Yes. We report in your headquarters' chart of accounts and templates, with PRC GAAP adjustments and notes where needed; at year-end we provide the PBC list and workpapers and speak with the auditors directly when useful. See Bridging PRC GAAP books and U.S. reporting.
We have several U.S. entities (a group). How do you handle that?
One compliance calendar, one set of conventions. Each entity is closed and filed separately; related-party transactions, funding movements and Form 5472 are checked at group level; state registrations and sales tax are managed per entity; the proposal lists fees by entity and scope. For groups that already have in-house accounting staff, we can limit our role to review, filings and advisory without doing the bookkeeping.
Can you provide vendor-onboarding documents (W-9, contracting entity details, NDA)?
Yes. The contracting entity is Bergland & Gao, LLC (Florida, United States). We provide a W-9, a sample engagement letter and a note on data handling, and we work within your procurement process for onboarding and payment terms.
Can we start with a diagnostic before committing to an ongoing engagement?
Yes. Where the state of the books or filings is unclear, we recommend a one-time assessment first: an inventory of each entity's books, filings and registrations, a list of gaps, risks and the order to fix them, and a fixed quote for what follows. The assessment is quoted and delivered on its own; whether to continue is your decision.
Are you related to other accounting or tax businesses called "B&G"?
No. Our legal entity is Bergland & Gao, LLC (Florida), trading as B&G US Tax. The website bgusatax.com, email addresses at bgusatax.com and WeChat ID gaocpazixun are our only official channels.
Why are there no prices on the website?
Because the monthly fee depends on the five factors above, and two "single subsidiaries" can differ several-fold in workload. We quote a fixed fee after the free first conversation, write inclusions and exclusions into the engagement letter before you sign, and never add hourly charges afterwards.
Connect With Us on WeChat
If your company is entering or already operating in the United States, connect with us on WeChat to discuss your accounting, payroll, sales tax and ongoing compliance needs.
When reaching out, please briefly share:
- Your industry
- Your current stage of U.S. expansion
- The entity type you have formed or plan to form
- The states where you operate or sell
- The type of support you are looking for
Prefer email? Write to us at jenny@bgusatax.com
Scan the QR code to connect on WeChat
WeChat ID:
gaocpazixun